Re: manchester to get congestion zone...
Living most of the time in London (inside the congestion zone) I can vouch for the fact that the congestion charge has done nothing to ease traffic. All it has been is a money raiser. It's no good making driving into work more difficult and more expensive unless you make public transport better FIRST. This hasn't happened - all that Ken gave us were bendy-buses, which are a disaster for many reasons. I gave up my car in London when the congestion charge would have pushed my annual car bill up to nearly £1,000 BEFORE I put any petrol in the darn thing. Interesting point - if you live inside the congestion zone, you have to pay to LEAVE it - also if you move your car from one parking space to another. The bottom line is that it is a way of raising revenue - hit the motorist, easy target, since public transport hasn't got any better since the congestion charge and traffic certainly has not become lighter.
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